CAIRO: One hundred members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) from a village in Minya resigned on the third day of the NDP elections to protest what they dubbed an intervention of unwanted elements in the elections, reported Al-Gomhuria newspaper. Several newspapers also reported the expulsion of a member of the supervising committee of the Derbala unit after it was proven that he had manipulated the voting process. In addition, 24 candidates from Sinoufar village in Fayoum resigned in objection to changing election dates without prior notification. "The idea of conducting elections within a party strengthens the party itself, said Shawki El Sayed, member of the legislative committee in the Shoura council, "however that depends on whether or not the elections are conducted properly. El Sayed added that the problem with parties in Egypt is that they have no popular base. Elections might improve that, but if they are not fair, then they will not serve the best interest of the party. But observers are skeptical of the validity of the elections. Nabil Abdel Fatah, expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, believes that the elections are meant to create an illusion of authenticity for a party that has been heavily criticized. "Elections and political principles are not common characteristics of the NDP, whose members have used undemocratic methods to get to their positions and have joined the party for personal benefit, he said. Abdel Fatah believes the NDP is experiencing "historical stagnation, and that members fear the rise of other popular political figures. He predicts that the ongoing controversy in the elections will continue to escalate, with the emergence of new characters, new conflicts and large amounts of money that will be paid to serve certain interests. The results of the first two days were in favor of women and younger candidates. Amina Shafik, member of the committee for building political participation for women, helped provide women with political training. "We welcome any type of women leadership, in any political party, and believe that it may influence political participation in other sectors, said Shafik.
